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During a revealing discussion, the acclaimed performer delves on subjects as varied as her newest character as a regal sea creature to the profound lessons gleaned from onstage mishaps and fan interactions.

Given the Chance to Become a Fish for a Day

The most recent character portrays the monarch of the cuttlefish in The Pout-Pout Fish; supposing you had the opportunity to be a fish for a day, which one would it be and why?

Straight away, that particular fish found at Clovelly beach – since it is like an institution, and people go there to see it. I just think it’s cool that there’s a local fish that people actually go and see and talk about – it holds a unique status.

A Cinematic Favorite to Revisit

What film do you always return to, and why?

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 comedy To Be Or Not To Be. I adore this film. When I was growing up, it used to come on television every now and again, and one time I recorded it. I just thought it was hilarious. It’s the legendary Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. Not long ago they were showing it at a cinema and I discovered that it was the preferred movie of a friend of mine, and so we attended and simply chuckled repeatedly. It is a masterful work of humor and all the actors in it are superb. The director Mel Brooks did a remake in the 1980s – that wasn’t as effective. But Lubitsch's version is an exceptional farce, worth viewing regularly.

A Priceless Lesson Learned From a Co-Star

What is the most valuable lesson you learned from someone a colleague?

I was doing A Doll’s House with Pete – my husband now, but back then we were not a couple. We were playing as scene partners and on opening night I tripped up – I skipped forward some dialogue in the script. I didn’t know of my error but I suddenly realised something wasn’t right. I recall glancing toward him, and he completely saved me, and then the scene regained momentum and went really, really well. However, I believe what I learned then was, first, always trust the people in your scene. If you don’t know where you are, by looking and look at the actors sharing the stage with, you will find your correct position somehow. It’s such collaborative endeavor, performing live. And next, to maintain a sense of fun regarding it. Sometimes when a mistake occurs, things can ignite in a wonderfully positive direction if you’re really present in that moment. It may become a gift when things go absolutely awry.

Heartening Exchanges with Admirers

Can you describe your most memorable interaction with a fan?

There isn't a single specific meeting but when I meet fans of Lord of the Rings, particularly women, I hear a lot of stories about how that character impacted them when they were growing up … things that had happened in their lives and how much Eowyn signified for them and was a form of support to them during those periods.

Which questions get asked most frequently by Lord of the Rings fans?

The most detailed inquiry concerns always about the stew that Eowyn serves Aragorn. “Was the stew as terrible as it looked?” It has evolved into such a joke, the whole thing about the stew, and everyone wants to know the contents of the stew, and how was it made, and do you think she’s a better cook now, or do you think she really is a bad cook? Fans seem, in my view, fascinated by the comedy of that scene. And I provide great detail listing the ingredients that constituted the concoction – because I remember the efforts made; like they even put bits of colored thread to make it look like blood vessels in the meat. The crew employed extreme measures to render it as bad as possible.

A Cringeworthy Celebrity Encounter

What’s been your most embarrassing celebrity encounter?

I was at a pilates class and another participant lying down doing pilates, and the teacher said to me, “Hello Miranda, this is Miranda.” And I made some joke about, “might you be a journalist?” Because it’s an unusual name and often when someone’s a Miranda, they’re a journalist. I hadn't properly seeing who it was. And when she got up, it was the actress Miranda Richardson. At that point, I was at a loss for what to say. I was obliged to complete my class, and I experienced intense awkwardness. I wished to explain: “Goodness, I am aware of who you are!” I consider her talent is immense and I was just too starstruck to utter a syllable.

The Source of a Moniker

Articles have repeatedly stated that you were given your name from Prospero’s daughter in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and yet you've mentioned stating otherwise – can you clarify this once and for all?

Indeed, I was named after a district in Sydney. My mother heard on the radio that they were opening a mall at Miranda, and the name seemed a nice name.

Pandemonium on Set

What was the chaotic thing that’s ever happened on set?

While working in Brazil for the film Reaching for the Moon I experienced the least organized set of my career, and yet the film turned out incredibly well. But they just work in a distinct manner. Their concept of time there is really different. Typically, you normally have a schedule and you have to be on set by a certain time. But this was sort of open ended – you come on set whenever you happen to be ready. It was a novel way of working for me. The elements were being assembled at the final moment, and at times the plan was unclear where they were shooting or how we were going to do it. And then you’d be in the middle of a scene and wondering, “What caused that sound that disturbed the scene? Ah, it was the producer popping open a bottle on set, because he’s making a party.” It turned out excellent, but wow, it’s a really different style of film-making.

A Hidden Talent

Do you have a secretly good at?

I naturally possess an aptitude for numbers. I memorise numbers easier than I memorise words often, I’ve just got a numerically-oriented mind. So I think had I not ended up in acting, I probably would have worked in something to do with numbers, like mathematics or accounting.

The Best Piece of Advice Given

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?

When I was in secondary school, a speaker came to speak as we were graduating and they said, “have no fear to fail” … an idea I consider is the best piece of advice, because you learn far more from failure than you learn from success. With success, one rarely understand precisely why it happened. Failure, the lessons are so much more.